as in tale
a traditional description of imaginary events circulated orally among a people
West African folktales that continue to be passed from generation to generation through storytelling
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Recent Examples of folktale
Kingston’s book, a radical scrambling of folktale, myth, and autobiography, is largely fiction but was initially received as a straightforward memoir—exactly the kind of stereotypical immigrant story Kingston had tried to avoid.
—
Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025
The Swimming Pool What folktale begins with a blacksmith in Michigan and ends with a bullfrog in New Jersey?
—John McPhee, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Canada and the United States Indigenous tribes across what is now Canada and the northern United States (including Alaska) have myriad folktales surrounding the celestial dance.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 30 Dec. 2024
Nair’s early exposure to traditional folktales and the lush landscapes of his homeland would later inform his distinct narrative style.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Jane Hu, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2025
The Swimming Pool What folktale begins with a blacksmith in Michigan and ends with a bullfrog in New Jersey?
—John McPhee, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Canada and the United States Indigenous tribes across what is now Canada and the northern United States (including Alaska) have myriad folktales surrounding the celestial dance.
—Bailey Berg, AFAR Media, 30 Dec. 2024
Nair’s early exposure to traditional folktales and the lush landscapes of his homeland would later inform his distinct narrative style.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for folktale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for folktale
Noun
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But the most sobering cautionary tale comes from 1894, when a lighthouse keeper’s pet cat named Tibbles was introduced to Stephens Island in New Zealand.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Comments On Swift Horses is rife with drama — a tale of a love triangle between a young woman, Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones), her Korean War veteran husband Lee (Will Poulter), and his iconoclastic brother Julius (Jacob Elordi).—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And a new class of music legends will enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2025
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The fallout between the two legends stems from a broader web of disagreements: 50 Cent feels betrayed by Big Meech’s association with Rick Ross, who has traded public barbs and diss tracks with 50 for years.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The untitled drama is based on Kerr’s final book Metropolis, which told the iconic detective’s origin story.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
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In this story: hair, Virginie Moreira; makeup, Ammy Drammeh; grooming, Yuko Fredriksson; braiding, Lorraine Dublin, Angela Torio Rivera; manicurist, Adam Slee; tailor, Judith Grant.—
Malick Bodian,
Vogue,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Entities magically endowed with life by the gods are not a rarity in Greek myth.—
Sofia Giannuzzi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
22 Apr. 2025
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At the same time, the Health and Human Service Department, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has stoked uncertainty and confusion among Americans whose suspicions grew during the pandemic about vaccines and what many scientists worry are myths about alternatives.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That was the most fun playground anyone in the history of television has ever had.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
30 Apr. 2025
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Francis, widely seen as among the most progressive leaders in the history of the Catholic Church, died from complications related to a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.—
Tom Rogers,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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She’s also got five adaptations of her contemporary romance novels in the works.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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During their final performance together, the pair appeared to confirm their relationship — after months of romance rumors — with an onstage kiss.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Folktale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/folktale. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
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